Infantry

An
infantry soldiers life revolved around his section,
consisting of six to twelve men, with whom he would eat, sleep,
march and fight during battle. Each soldier was generally
armed with a Charleville pattern "1777" smoothbore
.69 caliber flintlock musket. A cartridge containing a ball
weighing 4/5 of an ounce and gunpowder would be rammed down
into the mussel of the weapon. A well-trained soldier could
fire up to three times a minute and could hit a target at
a hundred yards.

Small
units, such as a battalion (840 men) or demi-brigade, could
fight independently or as part of a larger force as necessary.
Each battalion had select units for special battlefield duties:
four companies of fusiliers (light, fast-moving infantry),
one of grenadiers (shock troops comprised of the
tallest, bravest men) and one of voltigeurs or tirailleurs
(literally meaning "vaulter" or "leaper")
who were skirmishers that would preceed the battalion in
attack.